Air-ship.



PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

G; BOLD.

AIR SHIP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1907.

Z'SHEETS-SHEET 1.

S E S S M H W A TTORNEYS- PATENTED MAY 19 G. BOLD.

AIR SHIP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.7,1907.

2 SHEETS-SEEET 2.

INVENTOR deary'efiold BY WITNESSES ATTORNEYS X a i .l inirillofi .n. fines Anne "l .4;

AIR-SHIP.

Application filed November 7, 19077 Specification of Letters Patent,

atented Mary 19, 1908.

Serial No. 401.104..

[ all whom it may concern:

Be it known that i, GEORGE Born, a citizen of he United States, and a resident of iliiiinfeld, in the count of linion and State of Xew dcr have invented a new and improved Ana rip, of which the following is a lull, clear, and exam description.

This invention has reference to improvements .in air ships oi the dirigihle balloon tvpe, and having for objects, amongothers, the provision ot a ship in which hoth the car or hull and the gasdiag are composed of a plurality of jointed sections, the adjacent .hhull and ha; heing' connected together, termini, the ship into a plurality of sectional parts movable in relatively ditl'erent planes, wherehy considc ahle ilexihility is afforded, making it possible to change the direction of l light hoth horizontally and verticall v, with facility.

The invention further conteinilates other novel features of cinistruction which will he hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to he had to the :uacompanying' drawings ttn'mingr a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate correspoiidine' parts in all the views.

Figure l a side elevation of an air ship cnihodving in) iniprovcn'ients, partly in. ver tical section; li-ig'. 2 is a sectional plan of the same; Fig. is a. cross-section through the forward portion ot the ship; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section through one of the sup ort-' i'llfj legs of the hull.

The ship embodies in its construction a car or hull 5, which is constructed oi" suitahle material as, for example, thin sheet steel, and is substantially cigar-shaped, as viewed in plan, with the enlarged portion thereof ar-' ranged at the front. Both the forward and stern portions 6 and 7 respectively, of the hull, are hinged or pivotally connected to the intermediate portion thereof, forming the hull into a plurality of sections. The forward portion or sect ion 6 telescopes with the intermediate part oi the hull, and is pivoted at opposite sides at the poin 8, wherehy it he swung in a vertical plane. The telescoping;- portions oi the section (3 and the inteinlediate pariol the hull, it will he ohserved in Fit; 3. are curved at the bottom of the hull wit h or of curvature come d-- ing with the {)FDtb 8, whereby they will always he in substantial contact within the limits of relative movement; this movement being limited in each direction by a holt or pin s" passing: through a slot 8, thus .ma l he bottom of the ship unhrolien at hill The stern section 7 of the hull projecu; into the interim-dime portion thereof and is pivoted thereto l the bolt making it mov aide in a suhstantialiy horizontal plane; and is controlled h v any convenient means such, for example, as the oil-set handle it), the same heing limited in its swinging movement in each direction by an arc-shit ll, receiving a bolt 12; the said. slot heiiur eoi'icentric with the pivot 9.

The ship is supported whenon the ground by legs 13 arranged at the opposite sides of the hull, each leg being composed 01" an upper and lower telescoping member, as shown in detail in Fig. 4, with the upper inemher rigidly connected to the intermediate section of the hull, and the lower member carrying a roller 14 at its-lower end. A spring 15 is interposed between the two members of each leg, and the lower member is provided with alongit udinalt' arrangcd slot to, through which passes a pin 17 serving to limit the movement of the lower nicinl'ier of the leg in each direction. This construction of the legs operates to break the force of the ship in landing, and serves to assist the ship in talrin g llight.

in the forward section '3 of the hull, a motor 181s carried, which drives a longitudinal shaft l9 (Olltl'UllCll in any well known manner at the opposite sides of the motor hy clutches 20. The shal't ll) passes throug'li the forward end of the hull where it curries a hladed propelle 2], and is rigid with an anger pro-- peller 22 arranged at the front and extending forward thereof. That portion of the shalt 19 at the opposite side of the motor carries a crank-arm 223 having a roller 24 at its outer end engaging in a slot ZS'l'ormed centrally in a cross-hcam 26 which is guided in a vertical plane h v guide-rods 2T slidahlc in hearings at the hottom and top of the hull. The sides ol" the hull directly opposite the cross-beam 26 are slotted and pivotally support arms 28 having slotted inner ends engaging with projections or rollers 29 carried h v the beam 25. The opposite and outer ends of the arms 28 the connection heconnected toyv'ings tween these wings and the said arms-being preferably effected by universal joints 31, whereby the wings may be adjusted in any desired direction. When circumstances are favorable, the motor 18, may be stop ed and the propeller 21 used as a wind w ieel for ally supported in two directions, such that it may oe swung in either a horizontal or vertical plane, and is controlled by cables 39 passing to any convenient point of the ship.

By the construction and arrangement of the hull and the motive mechanism carried thereon, it will be seen that considerable flexibility is afforded, enabling the direction of the ship to be readily changed, both horizontally and vertically, this being true from the fact that the maneuvering of the shi is not wholly dependent on the rudder 38, ut is'infiuenced to a eat extent by the manipulation of the hul sections.

Above the hull 5 is a gas-bag 40, extending the full length thereof and likewise composed of a plurality of movable sections or indeendent gasbags, theforward section 41 eing pivoted-at opposite sides to the intermediate section at 42, adapting it to move in a vertical plane, thismovement of. the sections being made possible by constructing them of a stifi sheet material, which is cut out in \!form at the opposite sides of their pivotal connection and covering the cut-out portions thereof with a foldable fabriq 43.

The stern section 44 of the gas-bag is pivoted to the intermediate section thereof to swing in a horizontal plane, as in the case of the stern section of the hull, and all of said sections are each connected to the adjacent section of the hull by surrounding bands 45 of relative wide and flat form, which enforce them to move as a unit.

As will be observed in Fig. 3, the gas-bag 40 is of flattened form, having the under face thereof convex in a longitudinal direction, whereby it will operate to collect the air in descent, and thusbreak the fall of the ship. The air is permitted to escape through the balloon when the ship is descending through central openings 46 in order that the ship may be maintained in an upright position.

The invention as shown and described while being the preferred construction and arrangement of my improved ship, may

esasoi nevertheless be modified in particulars Within the scope of the claims annexed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. i i-n air ship, including a hull and a gasbag Ziomposed of a plurality of sections movable in relatively different planes. 2. An air ship, including a hull and a gasbag and composed of a plurality of sections,

one of said sections being movable in a substantially vertical plane, and the other of said sections being movable in a substantially horizontal plane.

3. In an air ship, a hull composed of a plu-. rality of sections pivoted to ether and relative'ly movable in different p anes.

- '4. In an air ship, a gas-bag composed of a plurality of sections pivoted together and relatively movable in different planes.

5. In an airship, a hull having a ivoted forward section movable in a vertica plane, and a pivoted rearsection movable in a horizontal plane, a gas-bag having a pivoted forward and a pivoted rear section correspondingly movable, and means connecting the adjacent sections 0 the gas-bagv and hull together.

' 6. In an air ship, a gas-bag composed. of a plurality of sections pivoted together and aving V-shaped -cut-out portions at the op.- posite sides of their pivotal connections, and a foldable fabric covering said cut-out portions.

' 7. In an air ship, a gas-bag having a for- Ward section movable in a vertical plane, and a rear section movable in a horizontal plane.

8.' In an air ship, a hull having a forward section pivotally connected to and overlapping the adjacent portion of the hull and movable in a vertical plane, and a rear section projecting within and pivoted to the ad: jacent portion of the hull and movablein a horizontal plane. I

9. An air ship, having a hull cigar-shaped in horizontal section, with the small end thereof arranged at the rear of the shi ,with its walls substantially continuous with those of the adjacent portion of the hull; and having a pivotal connection therewith.

10. In an air ship, a hull having a pivoted stern section rojecting thereinto, a motor carried by sai section, and propellers driven by the motor, journaled in bearings rigid with said section.

11. In an air ship, a hull having a stern section projectin thereinto and pivotally connected therewith to swing in a horizontal plane, said section having an arc-shaped slot concentric with its )ivotal connection, and a bolt passing through said slot for limiting the movement of the section-in each direction.

12. In'an air ship, a hull having .a forward pivotal section movable in a vertical plane, a In testimony whereof I have signed my motor carried by said section, a pro eller arname to this specification in the presence of ranged at the forward end of sai section, two subscribing witnesses.-

wings carried by said'section at the opposite GEORGE BOLD. sides thereof and at the rear of the propeller, Witnesses: and means for driving the propeller and wings W. W. HOLT,

from said motor. .J. P. DAVIS. 

